Earthmoving or digging machines such as hydraulic machines, excavators, backhoes, and front shovels are commonly used in the areas of construction, mining, and excavation. These excavating machines have work implements which consist of boom, stick, and bucket linkages. The boom is pivotally attached to the excavating machine at one end and its other end is pivotally attached to a stick. The bucket is pivotally attached to the free end of the stick. Each work implement linkage is actuated by at least one hydraulic cylinder for movement. The work implements are manipulated to perform a sequence of distinct functions which constitute a complete excavation work cycle. In particular, a typical excavating operation or work cycle may consist of large hydraulic machinery filling the bucket with material, such as soil, transporting the loaded bucket to a truck or conveyer belt, and unloading the material into a truck bed or onto the belt.
In some situations it would be advantageous to determine when a bucket, associated with the excavating or digging machine, is full in order for the efficiency of the machine be kept at a high level. For example, if the bucket is full then any additional motion of the bucket through the ground would waste time and energy thus lowering the efficiency of the machine. Also, if the bucket is not filled to its capacity then efficiency suffers because more digging operations will be required. In other situations, because of the construction or orientation of the particular digging machine, it is impossible for the operator of the machine to see when the bucket is full. In this case, it is desirable to have some indication of when the bucket has reached desired capacity so that the operator knows to stop the digging process.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.